15 Romantic Candles to Buy for Your Beloved (or Gift Yourself)

A scented candle always makes a good gift for your better half. But not just any old scented candle. When shopping for delightfully romantic candles, you want to make sure the scent is dreamy, the design is gorgeous and it's made with high-quality ingredients like natural soy wax and carefully sourced fragrance oils. Perhaps you're looking for candles with aphrodisiac notes, perhaps you're looking for candles with love- and passion-themed packaging, perhaps you're looking for a trendy massage candle. Whatever the case, we've got you covered. Ahead, we describe our favorite romantic candles you can give your partner for any occasion, from Valentine's Day to just-because moments.

1. LAFCO Absolute Rose De Mai Candle

It's hard to outshine roses on the amore front. This luxurious candle ups the alluring ante with the scent of dozens of rose petals plus bursts of honey nectar, sophisticated violet, warm woods and spicy geranium. In short, it's the love candle of our dreams. If you adore LAFCO's candles, check out the brand's essential oil diffusers—the Blush Rose Classic Reed Diffuser offers another romantic fragrance option, swirling with scents of rose, bergamot and pink pepper.

FEATURED VIDEO FROM THE KNOT

2. DedCool 01 Taunt Massage Candle

There's good reason Gen Z is obsessed with this clean and genderless functional fragrance brand: Its products are non-toxic and vegan, feature organic extracts and other sustainable ingredients, and come in cool packaging that's gifting-ready. After you've burned this candle and blown out the flame, wait until the wax has cooled down and then use it as massage oil. The 100% hand-poured candle is composed of a vegetable wax blend with a cotton wick and showcases top notes of bergamot and fresh dew, middle notes of floral and cassis, and bottom notes of vanilla and amber. Good luck not having sweet dreams after lighting this one.

3. Mise en Scènt Rom Com Candle

Hello, cozy Hallmark movie marathon or watching "When Harry Met Sally" for the 90th time. Mise en Scènt is a Brooklyn-based candle studio founded by a female cinema fanatic. Designed to make you feel like the main character on the silver screen, these candles are hand-poured and made with 100% natural soy wax, 100% cotton wicks and phthalate-free fragrance oils. While several scents are on offer (Old Hollywood and Mystery are two other top selections), we just can't get enough of this ethereal melding of artemisia, peach, freesia, iris, sandalwood, cashmere and more. The brand couldn't have put it better when describing the scent: "Jump the turnstile in Seattle downpour, brave the risky text, embrace the butterflies. Best enjoyed: with whoever's name came to mind."

4. Brooklyn Candle Studio Love Potion Scent Bundle

In the market for a proper gift set for your forevermore? We're swooning for this bundle from Brooklyn Candle Studio with a Love Potion candle, reed diffuser and room mist. All three burst with the sensual scent of jasmine blossom, as well as soothing lavender and vivacious mandarin. Worth noting: The brand is deeply committed to sustainability; its eco-friendly and clean-burning wax is derived from American-grown soybeans then paired with lead-free cotton wicks.

5. New Moon Beginnings Romance 12-Ounce Glass Jar Candle

If you love the look of crystal-studded candles, this pick is a superb choice. Crafted by hand in Pittsburgh, PA, with the intentions to "intensify love" and "ignite passion," it's a blend of natural oils, genuine crystals and dried flowers. Once the candle is done burning its deep lavender and amber scent, you or your flame (pun intended) can save the crystals for extra feel-good energy.

6. Anthropologie Nostalgia Candle in I Do

Anthropologie's Nostalgia candles channel some of life's most romantic moments with appropriately named scents. Our favorite is, of course, I Do. This floral fragrance (a blend of peony and musk) is meant to transport you and your spouse straight back to the wedding day. In other words, it's the perfect anniversary gift to celebrate your ever-burning love.

7. Homesick Love Bundle

Another brand known for its emotion-inducing scents, Homesick sells the ultimate pair of romantic candles for couples. This gift set includes two on-theme fragrances: Date Night and Love Letters. The former—displaying notes of fig, red currant and sandalwood—is the perfect complement to a candlelit dinner. The latter smells like the olfactory embodiment of sweet nothings, giving off whiffs of rose petals, jasmine, lemon and red plum.

8. The Little Market Totally Custom Candle

What's more romantic than a candle with a custom message, quote or words of your choice? In this case, you also get to select the fragrance you'd like—there are over a dozen options, running the gamut from Champagne to Clementine. Of note: These candles, from social enterprise Prosperity Candle, are hand-poured in small batches by women entrepreneurs who have resettled in the US after living in refugee camps. Each candle is made of a coconut soy-wax blend with a pure cotton wick, burns for up to 70 hours and comes in a recyclable glass vessel.

9. TERMINAL B DPS - Bali Damask Rose & Oud Candle

Founded by a husband-and-wife duo who met as students at Howard University, this Black-owned brand has a host of romantic candles that are made to inspire wanderlust. With candles named after airport codes, DPS was inspired by the couple's honeymoon in Bali, Indonesia. It's our personal favorite with a verdant, tropical scent courtesy of Bali Damask rose and oud. For another amorous choice, try the Buenos Aires homage, EZE - Black Currant & Amber Candle—it's the company's bestseller and frequently described as one of its most romantic scents.

10. Glasshouse Fragrances Rendezvous Candle

In this soy candle we get a seriously flirty impression from scents of sugar cane and gardenia complemented by amber and orchid. There's also vanilla, musk, neroli (the essential oil derived from the blossom of the bitter orange tree) and a white floral bouquet in the mix. Bonus: This double-wick candle boasts a 65-hour burn time.

11. Parfums de Marly Delina Candle

Let us introduce you to the fan-favorite Delina scent from luxury fragrance brand Parfums de Marly. Geared toward those who prefer an ultra-feminine fragrance, expect prominent notes of Turkish rose and lychee with waves of floral, woody and powdery scents. The pink candle jar and pink box make this a particularly stellar gift for saying "I love you" on Valentine's Day.

12. Athena Club Natural Wax Candle in Maia

Hand-poured? Check. Natural wax blend? You betcha. 60-hour burn time? Oh, yes. This candle is one of the best candles you'll ever smell and is said to capture the scentscape of spring's awakening with notes of Turkish rose, papyrus leaves and liquid amber, all wrapped up in a charming pink box. As a nice perk, each candle comes with a pack of Athena Club matches.

13. Spitfire Girl White Rose Quartz Crystal Candle

Calling all lovebirds with this special flickering love potion. Rose quartz is celebrated for its alleged powers to boost feelings of self-love and unconditional love for others. Here, the crystal pokes out from the candle's soy-blend wax, making for a meaningful and decorative gift. With notes of mandarin zest, Italian bergamot and Madagascar vanilla among other scents, this pick is well suited for a holiday, Valentine's Day or anniversary gift.

14. Bright Black Paris Candle

Let's hear it for the City of Light. Bright Black Candles, founded by Tiffany M. Griffin and Dariel Heron, pays homage to the African diaspora with location-inspired candles. The Paris candle dances around your nostrils with a floral blend of peony and gardenia blossoms and just a hint of classic French crème brûlée. Each 10-ounce black matte vessel contains a sleek wooden wick and provides 70 to 80 hours of burn time.

15. Scent Lab Candle Gift

Personalized presents are arguably the most romantic of all, and this data-driven brand helps fragrance-o-philes find the perfect scents for their discerning noses. Buy your special someone a Scent Lab gift card for the value of a full-size candle, then print or forward the gift redemption email. Your partner will be prompted to take a Scent Discovery quiz that matches them to their ideal fragrance. Each non-toxic, clean-burning candle is crafted with 100% soy wax and an organic cotton wick. P.S. The label comes printed with the recipient's name for an extra splash of customization.